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Adrianna got off the bed. "Give me two minutes."
Five minutes later, they were tiptoeing down the stairs and to the family room. She checked on Bronwyn, kissed her and whispered in her ear that she would be back later. Her daughter barely stirred but nodded. Then, she and Luciana snuck out the door but not before stealing a glance at the two men asleep on the couches. Adrianna texted Cam as Luciana drove away.
"This is so bad," she said.
"No, it's not. It's co-parenting," Luciana countered.
•••
The earth was shaking. Cam was sure of it. It was the big one that would sink the island of Manhattan forever. He was trying his hardest to remain still and ignore the buzzing sounds coming from his back pocket. Only, his phone wouldn't stop ringing. He reached back and pried it out, bringing it close to his face. He opened his eyes and immediate pain seared through his skull and his stomach revolted. He moaned. His mouth was dry, like he swallowed a cup of sand. He took a few shallow breaths and opened his eyes again. His phone screen flashed Adrianna's name.
He sat up too quickly, then heaved forward, praying for death’s merciful touch. Hope filtered through the wave of nausea surging through him. It was a text message. He unlocked the phone and proceeded to blink a few times.
I went out with your sister. Bron's sleeping in the family room. Luciana threw away the empty liquor bottles but you and Chase may want to clean up before she wakes up. She is very inquisitive.
Cam wished he had the strength to fling the phone into a wall. Instead, he set it next to him on the couch. He planned to lie back down when a movement caught his eye.
Frida was licking at Chase's face while he slept on the floor and Diego was tugging at the hem of Cam's pants.
"I guess Manhattan’s not moving. At least not today," he said, reaching for the puppy. Diego evaded his hand and began to bark.
"Make it stop," Chase groaned.
Cam tried again to reach for Diego but the puppy moved back, still barking. Cam got up and began to chase after him. Unfortunately, the puppy must have thought it was a game and began to run faster. Frida joined him and both puppies were barking soon.
"I'll kill you, Cameron, if you don't make them stop now." Chase now sat.
"Shut up, Chase. I think they may need to go outside. I'll go take them. You call the maid and tell her to clean up before Bron wakes up. And go shower," Cam barked.
"You're a mean drunk, Cameron," Chase said.
After praying for thirty minutes for death to come for him, Cam came downstairs to hear his daughter's voice coming from the family room. He made his way there.
"No, Mom's out with Aunt Lux. I'm home with Daddy and Uncle Chase. The maid said they were showering. She is always so nice and gives me cookies. She offered to make me breakfast but I said, no, thanks. She almost ran from the room when I said Daddy should be down soon."
Cam didn’t have to be told his daughter was smiling. It was infused in her voice.
"What will you eat for breakfast, then?" a female voice asked on the other end.
"I'll let Daddy figure it out," Bron said.
"Does he normally sleep in this late?" the woman asked.
"No, Him and Mom…excuse me. He and Mom went out to dinner last night. They didn't take me. It was a romantic dinner. Mom looked amazing."
"Did she now? Who did you stay with last night while your parents were out?" The woman asked a lot of questions and Cam couldn’t begin to guess who she was.
"Aunt Lux and Uncle Chase. We watchedElf! Can you believe they never saw it before? I don't know what people watch here,abuela." Bronwyn's voice was full of disappointment. She turned just then and saw Cam by the entrance to the room. "My dad's here now!"
Cam's stomach turned at the wordabuela, grandma.Shit. He didn't have time to prepare or duck out of the way. Bron turned the iPad to face him. There, staring at him with schoolmarm eyes was Victoria Hayes. The last time he’d seen her was the week before he left Acacia. She caught him with his lips wrapped around her daughter's in a secluded area near a town function. The blood had drained from his head at how relieved he and Adrianna had been her mother hadn't shown up five minutes before.
To say this was an encounter he wasn't looking forward to, would be putting it mildly. The disapproving look in her eyes only made it worse. After all, to her knowledge, he’d impregnated her daughter and skipped town.
Cam cleared his throat and forced a smile. "Good morning, Mrs. Hayes."
"Arenas,” she corrected. “Hello, Cameron. It's been a long time."
Fuck his life.
